Ambler Lease Purchasing New Diesel Truck for $50K Over 3 Years

Ambler Borough is soon to be the new owners of a 2014 F-550 dump truck.
Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to authorize a lease purchase of the truck and body for $50,775, payable over three years.
Ambler is lease purchasing the truck through the COSTARs program from New Holland Auto Group.
"There are not a lot of places you can go to get this type of purchase for this amount of money," said borough Manager Mary Aversa. "(Ford credit) did agree to come down a half-percent on each of the terms on the rate. I asked them to do a little better, and they were able to." 
Resident Judy Baigis asked if a diesel-engine truck was considered for purchase. Aversa said the borough does own both diesel and unleaded gasoline vehicles, but accessibility to unleaded gasoline pumps at the public works garage is easier than the diesel pump at the wastewater treatment plant.
Aversa said a diesel truck would cost $10,000 more for the borough.  
"We keep our vehicles for a very long time. We have vehicles for 15, sometimes 20, years," she said. 
Councilman Peter Amento said diesel does not have the same power as a gasoline engine.
"Therefore, it wouldn't render us any useful purpose," Amento said. "The kind of driving we do, diesel won't have that kind of power."
The diesel truck used to carry heavy loads at the treatment plant isn't stop-and-go, Amento said.
"(The truck used at the treatment plant) is like going for a long-distance ride," Amento said. "With this truck, there will be a lot of that and diesel doesn't have the power behind it."